KQAL
Encyclopedia
KQAL is a radio station
broadcasting a Variety
format. Licensed to Winona, Minnesota
, USA. Currently, the station is the only independent, non-commercial station broadcasting in the near area. The station is currently owned by Winona State University
and features programming from AP Radio.
In 1980 KQAL, Winona’s alternative music radio, was placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created Mass Communication Department at WSU. KQAL increased its power output to 1,100 watts in 1981 and it became a member of the Associated Press.
1989 saw the power output increased to 1,800 watts and the transmitter moved from the roof of the Performing Arts Center to a 400 foot tower leased from KWNO on Garvin Heights. Also in '89 two satellite receiving dishes were installed at the Performing Arts Center.
The entire studio complex was remodeled in 1991 with new state of the art equipment and the newsroom went computerized. 1995 was the year for computer based digital audio editing equipment to be installed and when the station's website debuted.
KQAL continued the transition to the digital era in 1998 when computer based, hard drive audio storage and automation was introduced, virtually eliminating the use of tape at the station. The original system was replaced in 2002 with a new, more robust and reliable system.
From 1998 to 2001 KQAL saw an edgier format with DJ's Stephen Bobrowski, Andrew Hokenson, and William Radde. Hokenson and Radde were co-hosts of a highly ranked morning show and Bobrowski was host of the highest ranked late night show KQAL has ever had. The DJ's were considered to have a "out of control" atmosphere on air that students loved. Both shows shared a common guest host named Dave Kolodzinski that would add to boths shows already zany cast of charactor's which called themselves the Loretto Ghetto.
In the summer of 2009 Phelps Hall on the WSU campus was extensively remodeled and new radio and TV studios were constructed. KQAL began broadcasting from those new studios in January 2010, forever abandoning our home of some 34 years in the Performing Arts Center.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a Variety
Variety (radio)
The term variety as a radio format is loosely defined as a format that plays music across numerous genera.Freeform variety is associated with a wide range of programming including talk, sports, and music from a wide spectrum. This format is usually found on smaller, non-commercial...
format. Licensed to Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
, USA. Currently, the station is the only independent, non-commercial station broadcasting in the near area. The station is currently owned by Winona State University
Winona State University
Winona State University is a comprehensive public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States, a college and river town located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, with around 8,900 enrolled undergraduate and graduate students...
and features programming from AP Radio.
History
KQAL-FM at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota went on the air in December 1975 as a ten watt station. An alternative independent radio station from the beginning, broadcasting began from the roof of the Performing Arts Center. KQAL was started by faculty members Jacque Reidelberger and Brice Wilkinson and student manager, the late Bruce Hittner. A laboratory for the Speech Department at WSU, KQAL has been staffed primarily by students from the very beginning.In 1980 KQAL, Winona’s alternative music radio, was placed under the jurisdiction of the newly created Mass Communication Department at WSU. KQAL increased its power output to 1,100 watts in 1981 and it became a member of the Associated Press.
1989 saw the power output increased to 1,800 watts and the transmitter moved from the roof of the Performing Arts Center to a 400 foot tower leased from KWNO on Garvin Heights. Also in '89 two satellite receiving dishes were installed at the Performing Arts Center.
The entire studio complex was remodeled in 1991 with new state of the art equipment and the newsroom went computerized. 1995 was the year for computer based digital audio editing equipment to be installed and when the station's website debuted.
KQAL continued the transition to the digital era in 1998 when computer based, hard drive audio storage and automation was introduced, virtually eliminating the use of tape at the station. The original system was replaced in 2002 with a new, more robust and reliable system.
From 1998 to 2001 KQAL saw an edgier format with DJ's Stephen Bobrowski, Andrew Hokenson, and William Radde. Hokenson and Radde were co-hosts of a highly ranked morning show and Bobrowski was host of the highest ranked late night show KQAL has ever had. The DJ's were considered to have a "out of control" atmosphere on air that students loved. Both shows shared a common guest host named Dave Kolodzinski that would add to boths shows already zany cast of charactor's which called themselves the Loretto Ghetto.
In the summer of 2009 Phelps Hall on the WSU campus was extensively remodeled and new radio and TV studios were constructed. KQAL began broadcasting from those new studios in January 2010, forever abandoning our home of some 34 years in the Performing Arts Center.